The need to protect cargo while in transit has existed since ancient times, but recent changes in the manner in which cargo is shipped, as well as a huge increase in the sheer volume of cargo which is shipped, has given rise to new and special challenges with regard to tracking and protecting such cargo.
In particular, cargo is often shipped in standardized “containers,” which can be loaded at a point of origin, and then shipped to a destination via a combination of mobile entities including truck, rail, and sea transportation among others. Note that the term “mobile entity” is used herein to denote any and all transportable entities, including self-powered vehicles such as autos and trucks as well as entities which are transported by auxiliary means and/or methods such as transporting trailers, cargo containers, cartons, skids, pallets, and such like. The entire journey can include as many as five or more transfers between carriers, as well as temporary storage at consolidation and/or distribution centers, before the container finally arrives at the destination.
Other present-day methods of shipping cargo include shipment by semi-trailer, enclosed truck, enclosed rail car; transportable tanker, and such like. It is common for a trailer or other container to be transferred between different carriers while en route. For example, a trailer may be pulled by more than one tractor, or may be carried during portions of its journey on a rail car, barge, or ship so as to achieve maximum transport efficiency and economy. Problems which can occur en route include theft of the entire container, a container break-in and theft of some or all of its contents, and containers getting lost, delayed, or diverted erroneously or intentionally.
A tracking system is sometimes used to keep track of a shipment while it is en route to its destination. One approach to tracking such shipments is to provide each container, truck, etc. with a unique, identifying number or code, which can be displayed on a printed tag for reading or scanning while en route. RFID tags can also be used for this purpose. As an alternative, an electronic tracking device can be included with the shipment, whereby the tracking device uses wireless communication to report its location, both to monitoring stations and/or while in route using cell phone or similar technology.
While these present-day shipping methods can be very efficient, they present special challenges regarding how to maintain the security of cargo during transit and protect it against tampering, theft, and such like. High-value cargo presents special security challenges while en route, since it is likely to be singled out and targeted by thieves, vandals, and/or other persons wishing to interfere with the cargo's delivery, and/or to steal it.
The traditional approach to protecting high-value cargo is to provide special encasement, surveillance, and even guards. An example would be an armored car transporting cash between banks. However, while these approaches can provide additional protection against thieves, vandals, terrorists, and such like, they also tend to be very expensive. And unless the level of protection is very strong, these high security approaches can actually do more harm than good, since they serve to draw attention to the high-value cargo, and provide a very recognizable target for thieves, vandals, and other potential threats.
On the other hand, if high-value cargo is shipped without special protection, it can be highly vulnerable to tampering and theft. In particular, if a shipment tracking system is included, as is often the case for high-value cargo so as to mitigate the risk of loss due to accidental misdirection, the tracking system can actually serve to increase the danger that the high-value cargo will be singled out and stolen, vandalized, or otherwise hindered or tampered with. In particular, someone with access to shipping paperwork may accept a bribe from a thief to provide a tracking number for an especially valuable shipment, and may even cooperate further by accessing the tracking system and providing location information to the thief. Or a sophisticated thief may find a way to gain unauthorized access to a tracking system, for example by intercepting wireless communications between monitoring stations and the shipment, and then use the information to track and locate the high-value shipment for the purpose of intercepting it.
What is needed, therefore, is a system for increasing the security of high value cargo while en route, without providing a mechanism for a potential threat to identify, locate, track and/or intercept the cargo.